A second road trip

After the trip to Leavenworth, we decided to visit St. Louis, MO. I have only driven through the city twice. Not stopping either time. This time, we were planing to actually get out of the car and go inside the famous arch.

Yes, we took the pups.

No, we didn't take the MINI.

The arch was cool. Not something I would drive to St. Louis especially to see, but as an option to tourist attractions, it was satisfactory.





The zoo was good. It was smaller than I had expected and it rained, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I didn't have to push any small children out of my way and that's always a plus. Generally, the rotten children are climbing on the sculptures and interfering with my photo opportunity. I guess the rain kept some folks away. It's just as well.

While on the "River Walk" we came across this snake. Anyone who knows my husband knows that he's not a fan of the snakes. So, I suggested he strangle this one. He complied.

Then, at a vendor wagon, I found this amazing hat. I thought it was wonderful. So did the people next to us. They said it matched his beard perfectly. Unfortunately, my husband was less than amused.

Our next tourist attraction was Grant's Farm. The Budweiser Clydesdales are stabled and trained there. Naturally, that was on our "To Do" list. Before seeing the horses, we took the tram to the park where I was overjoyed with what I discovered.

BABY GOATS!

Purchasing a small bottle of milk to feed the kids as allowed and without hesitation, I went right up to the Milk House. I was the first one in line. Unfortunately, my husband, who had the money, wasn't so eager and I had to step to the side and wait for him. FINALLY, he gave me some money and I bought 3 bottles.

Most folks heeded the warning sign "Caution. Goats can be aggressive." and stayed on the outside of the fence. Not me. No way. I was going in.
It was the absolute best. I was thrilled.
Pure happiness!

My adventure was only just beginning.

After a few minutes walking, I discovered another feeding station. This one was for llamas and camels.

Only too bad for me because this feeding station was a self service vending machine that only took quarters. Two of them. My husband didn't have any change.

I readily noticed a change machine. He was unimpressed.

So, I broke out my purse and rummaged for change. YIPPIE!! I found EIGHT quarters in the bottom of my bag.



Those guys have the coolest lips!
The llama was okay, but it made me nervous to have him look at me with his ears back like that. I did pet him and he certainly was soft, but nowhere as much fun as the camel.

He got the majority of the niblets.

I could have stood there for several more hours and plenty of dollars, but there was more to see.





Before we left that portion of Grant's Farm, I simply had to go back to the goats.
I just love them.

Off to the stables.





There were lots of babies. All but two of them were out of reach, safe behind their mothers or the "Keep off the Grass" signs.

The two that I could reach, well....they got their fair share of lovin'.


After Grant's Farm, it was back to the hotel for the pups and a return drive home.
The drive, I'm happy to say, was uneventful. No vomit.

So, I took some time off from work

My amazing husband had to take some time off from his job before going to Army Summer Camp for awhile. Luckily, I was able to have a few days away from the exciting world of retail, and we opted to go back to Leavenworth for a couple of days.

We also decided to drive the MINI and take the pups.

Big mistake.

See, the MINI is a super fun car to drive. Not as much fun in the passenger seat and really no fun if car sickness is even a remote possibility. Poor, poor pups.

I had set up a wonderful bed in the back seat for them. Lots of pillows and blankets to make everything even and soft. Too bad for me because they much preferred being in my lap. Now, granted my lap is pretty big, just not big enough to easily accommodate two schnauzers. I did my best, however and had an extra towel just in case of emergency.

Emergency came 3 times. I have dog vomit all over me. My husband, the clean freak, was bent out of shape about the possibility that some vomit actually got on the car. To his pleasure, 90% of the vomit was captured by the towel. The rest, by my purse, my shirt and my pants. The really bad news was that I hadn't planned on having to change my clothes that day.

The more frustrated my husband became with the situation, the more amazed I was with him. Finally, I told him to relax. I was the one with vomit all over themselves. He could calm down a bit and get me some water.

By the time we made it to the hotel, I was ready for a shower and a change of clothes. But first, I had to wash the clothes I was wearing as I would have to wear them again the next day.

Now, this hotel, although dog friendly, was not equipped with a bathtub. Shower only. Have you ever tried to wash vomit covered clothes and vomit covered towels with a hotel bar of hand soap in a shower? Well, lets just say it wasn't the easiest task.

Eventually, all the vomit was a thing of the past and my clothes needed drying. My sweet husband, trying to help in the situation, neatly folded my pants and hung them near the air conditioner.

FOLDED.

So, I opened them up and laid them directly across the a/c vent. It took the rest of the day and all night, but by morning, they were dry enough to wear.

For the return trip, I limited the pups' food in the morning. I didn't want to face another 3-hour trip wearing vomit covered clothes. This worked in my favor. They managed to hold their lunch on the way home.